


Mercy: Rise and Fall

by KQueen26



Series: Hazbin Hotel: Mercy [1]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)
Genre: Alastor is Bad at Feelings (Hazbin Hotel), Alternate Universe, Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Angels, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fallen Angels, Friendship, Multi, My First Fanfic, Post-Betrayal, Protective Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel), Slow Burn, Soft Alastor (Hazbin Hotel), Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:55:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28943310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KQueen26/pseuds/KQueen26
Summary: Mercy Sampson always believed she'd be damned to Hell, even when she is wrongly executed of witchcraft and hanged.  Instead, she goes to Heaven and is conscripted into the Exterminators.When she foils an unsanctioned assassination attempt on Charlie Magne, Mercy is wrongly accused of treason and banished to Hell.  Charlie takes the newly Fallen angel in and Mercy joins the hotel staff to help make her dream a reality.
Relationships: Alastor (Hazbin Hotel)/Original Female Character(s), Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel) & Original Character(s), Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne/Vaggie
Series: Hazbin Hotel: Mercy [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2122419
Comments: 10
Kudos: 27





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! This is my first fan fiction ever and I'm excited to do this. I hope you all like it and feel free to comment.
> 
> Anything with () means a thought. Still new to AO3 so I'm still learning.
> 
> I don't own the Hazbin Hotel series or its characters. This is purely fan-made and meant for the sake of a good story.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy Sampson is convicted of witchcraft and hanged by the members of her Puritan community. She never thought she would end up in Heaven instead of Hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen! This is my first fanfic ever and the first of my "Hazbin Hotel: Mercy" series. I sincerely hope you all enjoy and feel free to comment.
> 
> I don't own Hazbin Hotel or its characters. They all belong to VivziePop. This is purely fan-made and meant for the sake of a good story.
> 
> Enjoy!

Massachusetts, 1676

All her life, Mercy Sampson was led to believe she was bound for Hell. She had lived twenty years and had heard this since she was little. Her parents told her. Her community's pastor told her. How could they not? She might be pretty if she didn't have birthmarks splotched all over her arms, chest, and legs and one splotch over her right eye. The only people in her life who ever showed her any kindness were her younger brother George, just two years her junior, and her neighbor, Goody Price. She was the kindest soul Mercy had ever met. Despite her lot in life, Mercy tried her best to be a good person. She tried to be penitent and hard-working according to her village's Puritan teachings, but it was like everything she did was wrong.

When Thomas Cabot, the eldest son of the prominent Cabots, claimed he had been bewitched, he accused Mercy of tormenting him. She knew it was a lie, as he was doing this because she rejected his marriage proposal. It was all anyone could talk about in the village. Despite this, the townspeople believed him and she was put on trial. They examined her, tried to get her to confess to no avail, and then they heard testimonies from Thomas and her own parents. Not to her surprise, Mercy's parents turned against her in court, with even her own mother saying she knew her daughter was "Devil-bound since birth." The court found Mercy guilty and sentenced to be hanged.

As Mercy stood at the gallows, the noose being rigged around her neck, she scanned the crowd and looked at the jeering mob as they shouted and cursed her. She saw George crying for her while her parents looked away. Whether or not they wanted to see her die or were ashamed, she could not say. At this point, she did not care. She spotted Thomas Cabot in the front of the crowd with a devilish grin on his face.

(Burn in Hell, you bastard), she thought to herself. Reverend Parker, who presided over her trial came onto the scaffold and faced her. "Mercy Sampson, you have been found guilty of the crime of witchcraft and have been sentenced to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. If you wish to recant, speak now."

Mercy eyed the crowd one final time before turning to the pastor. "Leave my soul to burn and let me breathe it in." That was the last thing she said before the sack was placed over her head and the stool she was standing on was kicked off.

* * *  
Rather than hellfire, Mercy found herself in a place of light surrounded by clouds. She looked around to try and find any indication of her whereabouts, but found nothing except a large silver gate in front of her. Rather than the black frock she was wearing, she was wearing a white dress with silver accents at the hem and sleeves. She wondered what she was doing here and why when a voice called out to her.

"Welcome." It sounded male and she looked to see a winged man with dark skin and silver hair in a stand on the left side of the gate. He was wearing a white tunic and silver bracelets on each hand. He had a warm smile on his face and a large leather-bound book in front of him. Mercy felt apprehensive.

"Who be ye?" she asked, quite nervously.

"I am Pravuil, Record-keeper of God and steward to the Gates of Heaven." the man answered. "I greet you, Mercy Sampson."

"So, I am to be judged?" she says, ready for the inevitable but shocked by the stranger's answer.

"You already have been." Pravuil opened the book and looked at the page with her name therein. "Born in 1656 to Isaac Sampson, a farmer, and his wife Mary. Have two younger brothers and one younger sister. Hmm. It seems you had a rather difficult time prior to coming here, but you tried your best to keep to His teachings. You suffered abuse and braved through it, and in the end, you were falsely accused and executed for witchcraft by a scorned admirer. It makes sense someone like you belongs up here."

"I don't understand." Mercy said to the angel. "In life, I did nothing right. I disrespected my parents, neglected my duties-"

"The same parents who betrayed you and left you to be hanged?" the Record-keeper cut her off. "I'm afraid the Puritans have warped Christianity and God's teachings. You did nothing to be damned. If anything, the ones who mistreated and persecuted you are guilty of blasphemy. God does not tolerate innocent deaths in His name. You were a good person. You tried your best to be kind even after the mistreatment you received by those around you and they did not reciprocate."

As much as she liked the thought of Thomas Cabot burning in Hell for what he did, her heart sank when she realized her parents would go to Hell. Then again, she's dead because of them.

"So, what happens now?"

The Gates of Heaven opened and Pravuil said "You may now enter these gates and into Paradise. You are free to feel His love and enter the ranks of Heaven's angels. I must warn you, any disobedience, such as treason against God, is punishable by banishment. I'd suggest you never do such a thing to our Lord and God."

"I understand, Lord Pravuil." Mercy says. She walks through the gates and found herself in a city of alabaster and light. Heaven was more beautiful than she ever thought possible. Angels went about their daily lives, singing praises to God or conversing with one another. Up atop a high hill, Mercy could see God's heavenly estate. She was so distracted, she didn't notice someone calling out to her.

"Mercy Sampson?" A female angel stood behind her. She was beautiful with platinum blonde hair tied in a long braid and hazel eyes. Her skin was fair and flawless. She wore a white tunic dress with a gold belt, brown sandals at her feet, and silver bracelets on each arm and a silver diadem in her hair.

"I am Jophiel, your Heavenly liaison." the angel introduced herself. "Follow me and I'll show you around."

Mercy followed her and prepared herself for whatever the future may bring her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Leave my soul to burn and let me breathe it in.” Thought this would be appropriate for Mercy, considering what’s going to happen to her.
> 
> I love “Addict”.
> 
> More to come, so stay tuned!


	2. Chance Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy is trained in Heaven and becomes very powerful. She is conscripted into the Exterminators to participate in the annual cleansing of Hell.
> 
> In 1934, Mercy has an encounter with the feared Radio Demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all!
> 
> So since my plan was an Alastor/OC ship, I wanted to make this chapter to be like their first meeting, which was more "love at first fight" more than anything. This should get the pot stirring and we'll see what Alastor thinks of her.

Centuries have passed since she died, but Mercy had grown accustomed to life in Heaven. She had her own apartment in the Humility District. Jophiel got her a job at a prayer call center. Mainly, her job is listening to the prayers of mortals and answer them or relay them to their designated guardian angels or even God Himself. Needless to say, her afterlife was much better than when she was alive. No one here judged her by her appearance, something that happened to her when she was alive. There was no misery or pain, only light and joy. On Sunday, the day of rest, they listened to an hour-long sermon and would visit each other for the rest of the day. This was radically different from Sundays in her Puritan community, where they would listen to sermon for eight hours and then go home to read the Bible afterwards.

A few decades after she died, her brothers George and Zachariah and little sister Virtue arrived in Heaven, to her joy. Mercy learned from George that their mother died following an outbreak of yellow fever. Their father discovered Thomas Cabot's deception and killed him, then he killed himself upon realizing what he had done. George, eighteen at the time of their mother's death, had to take up patriarchal duties and raise his younger siblings. He took the family to Boston, where he married the daughter of a minister and started a family of his own. He worked as a clerk for a lawyer and lived a good life. He and his wife arrived in Heaven ten years apart from each other.

George was pleased to see his older sister here instead of Hell, as he knew she wasn't the witch his parents said she was. He knew there was more good in her than evil. He had hated his parents for betraying Mercy and prayed for her since she died. Seeing her here was the best thing he had ever seen since his arrival in Heaven. It didn't strike either of them as odd that their parents were sent to Hell instead of Heaven. What they had done was unforgivable and to Mercy, they're dead to her.

One day, she receives a visitor. She opened the door to her apartment to find a fair-skinned angel with dark red hair and eyes standing there. He was wearing a grey suit of Exterminator armor and held his mask in his left hand. It was Archangel Azrael, the Angel of Death and leader of the Exterminators. He commands the legions and orchestrates the annual Exterminations. What was he doing here at her doorstep?

"Can I help you, Lord Azrael?" Mercy asked, nervously.

"Is this the residence of Mercy Sampson?" he asked.

"This is she."

Azrael shakes her hand and says "I'm here to offer you a position among our ranks."

"You want me to be an Exterminator? Why?"

"As you no doubt have heard, Hell's population continues to grow and our numbers are dwindling. I'm losing more Exterminators than Hell's losing sinners. As a result, we're looking for more recruits."

"I appreciate this, Lord Azrael, but I'm happy with everything here." Mercy says, trying to be polite. "I have no desire to join."

Mercy had heard about the Exterminations and she had only heard about the outcomes from friends or on the news. She personally had no interest in the killings. It made her heart sink to think that they were being wiped from existence like that, even if they were awful people in life. She herself would know what that was like.

"There are some benefits." Azrael tells her. Clearly, he wasn't going to back down. "You'll receive better pay than you would at where you work and if you last long enough, you might rise in angelic rank."

"Is that possible?"

"In the afterlife, anything is possible, Mercy. So, what will it be?"

* * *  
1934

Mercy's first Extermination and it was fair to say she was nervous. Despite all the training she received, she was scared to do this. Her Commanding Exterminator Anael said she was stronger than any other recruit he had ever seen. He believes she might join the ranks of the Principalities with the right amount of training. Being a Principality means she would guide and protect. She was never protected in life so it would be nice to help others and provide them protection. And Azrael wasn't joking when he said being an Exterminator had its privileges. She moved into the Compound where the Exterminators reside, her paycheck was more than what she got at the prayer center. Still, she didn't like what she had to do.

Right now, Mercy sat on a bench in the locker room and was looking at her mask. It was only a year and it still creeped her out. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, her uniform was on, and she could see her green eyes reflect off the mask. When the alarm rang, alerting her that it was almost time, Mercy put on her mask, grabbed her spear and Demon Slayer sword, and joined the others in the Compound's courtyard. She listened to the pep talk Azrael have each year and on the screen in front of them, the platoons received their assigned areas of Hell.

The Anael Platoon was assigned to the western side of Pentagram City. Mainly, her job is to find and kill any demons she saw. Considering most of Hell's populace would be hunkered down in whatever shelter they could find, Mercy had hoped she wouldn't find anyone. Landing on a street corner, she got a good look at Pentagram City for the first time. It was all red, that would be the best way for her to describe it. Dilapidated and abandoned buildings were on both sides and litter was scattered on the ground. Most of the buildings were boarded up and there was no one out here. She heard a trash can clatter nearby and, spear in hand and sword sheathed on her hip, she approached it and saw a rat-like vermin run off. She flew up into the sky again to see if she could spot anyone. Unfortunately, she ended up getting caught in another Exterminator's fight with a bizarre snake demon and was blown away by the subsequent explosion.

The window Mercy crashed through broke into many small pieces. Thank God her armor wasn't messed up or anything. Her mask was cracked in the middle. As she got back on her feet, she tried to make sense as to where she was. The interior looked like something of the current decade. It was the 1930s, if she remembered correctly, so the owner probably arrived in Hell within a year or maybe a few years ago. She'd rather not wait around to find out.

(Who's home is this?) Her thoughts were interrupted by someone's voice.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" The voice sounded male, but also somewhat distorted, like someone speaking through a vacuum tube radio. As the figure came out of the darkness, Mercy found a tall demon clad in a red pinstripe suit. His skin was khaki-colored and he had red and black hair, styled like deer ears, red eyes with a monocle on his right eye. He had a wide, toothy grin of yellow teeth that made her nervous. 

Mercy had to learn about Hell's overlords during there training, so she recognized him as Alastor the Radio Demon. He became an overlord overnight, toppling those who were around for centuries and amassed tremendous dark power. Chances she's going to get out of this alive are looking slim. As he got closer, Mercy raised her spear.

"Now, is that any way to act after you broke into my home?" the Radio Demon asked her. "I must say, Heaven must be forgetting their manners."

"I don't want to hurt you." Mercy says. "I'm here by accident. I didn't mean any harm."

"The smashed window and says otherwise, dear." Alastor said. "Now, if you don't leave now, I'm going to make you leave."

She was more than eager to leave, but as she turned to leave, she felt something and she saw a black tentacle wrapped around her left ankle. It yanked her and threw her into another wall.

"I was going to leave." she says to the demon.

"Still, I can't let you leave, darling." he tells her. "Can't let an angel get away from me."

His eyes started distorting and more tentacles emerged from the shadows. Mercy hacked them up with her spear and used her intangibility to phase through any that snuck up on her. One of the tentacles stole her spear and tried to impale her with it, but she was able to blast it away with a ball of angelic energy, making another hole in the wall in the process. 

(This cleanse can't end any time soon?)

Alastor then began to turn into a more monstrous version of himself. The antlers on his head grew while he became taller and skinnier than his normal form, his eyes were pitch black with tears of blood coming out. His smile remained but grew. Mercy shook in her core. The Radio Demon tackled her and they went out the hole and onto the street. As they wrestled on the ground, Mercy kicked him off and drew the Demon Slayer, a silver-bladed saber she received from Anael. 

"Feisty, aren't you?" Alastor said. Tentacles sprouted from his back and launched at his opponent. Mercy dodged and sliced each tentacle, causing the Radio Demon to shriek. She had nerve, he could attest. But he did not get to where he was to let some angel upstart take him down. He lunged for her and knocked her down. Mercy's mask was knocked off and Alastor saw her face.

(Such a beautiful face. Too bad she has to die).

Mercy phased through him and struck him in the middle of his back with the handle of her sword and swept his legs. Alastor tried to grab her but she used her telekinesis to hurl him into a wall and held him there. She hates to do this, but he's giving her no choice. She took her sword and raised it, ready to kill him when she looked up above them.

The surrounding carnage had ceased. The angels were returning to Heaven and Mercy turned to leave. Alastor prepared to attack again but was blasted back into his home by her angelic power. Mercy flew away and rejoined her platoon as soon as she could.

As Alastor watched the angel leave and the fireworks signaling the end of the Extermination, he thought about her. She wasn't like the other Exterminators. She didn't even want to fight. As he walked out, he found the mask she left behind and picked it up. There was a big cracking right down the middle but it didn't look like it had seen much. She must have been new. Hell, he might have been her first kill. Going inside, he sat the mask down on the kitchen table, got himself a glass of whiskey, and took his seat.

"Too bad I didn't get her name." said he, musing over her mask. "She was very entertaining."

* * *  
"And that's what happened." Mercy finished her tale to Azrael and Anael. When she returned, Anael questioned why she was so disheveled and the moment she mentioned Alastor, he took her straight to Lord Azrael's chambers. They wanted to know what happened during the Extermination and were astounded she actually survived the Radio Demon.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Lady Mercy." Azrael said. "If you faltered, the Radio Demon would have erased you for sure. Still, next year, you will do better when you seek out demons. Now if there isn't anything else, you're free to go."

Mercy was exhausted. She went straight to her room and collapsed on the bed. Her first Extermination and she practically blew it. At least she got some street cred among her fellow Exterminators as the one who almost took down the Radio Demon and lived to tell the tale.

"If I never see that kook again, it will be way too soon." she says to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's their first introduction. Like I said, love at first fight. My next chapter should be the climax of the story and what officially begins Mercy's adventures in Hell with the Hazbin gang. IDK how many I'm gonna have in this series, but I've got plans.
> 
> Plenty more to come, faithful readers. Stay tuned!


	3. Top Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fast-forward to the present, Mercy discovers Anael's plot to assassinate Charlie. She foils the attempt but is falsely accused of treason and Falls from Heaven. And guess where in the pentagram she lands.

2020

Mercy was preparing herself for the next Extermination, going over her current weapons array and getting herself geared up. From what she had heard, this year was going to have a lot of work due to some worldwide disease taking a toll on human lives. Heaven and Hell have been getting an even number of souls as a result of this. Despite her reticence eighty years ago, Mercy had plenty of time to hone her combat skills and acquire a large mill count during each purge. Her powers have grown too. In addition to intangibility and telekinesis, she discovered she could read minds and turn invisible. Her new callsign among Exterminators is "Wraith" after one of her platoon members jokingly compared her powers to a ghost. She didn't mind it. It was better than being called a witch. Still, she hated what she had to do each year. Even if they deserved it, it just seemed wrong to just wipe souls out of existence. But is there really another alternative to the Exterminations?

"Lady Mercy." Anael called as he walked in her direction. "Mind if I had a word with you?"

"Not at all, sir." Mercy followed him along and listened to him. "What's going on?"

"As you heard, this year the kill count is going to be higher because of this pandemic going on on Earth." said he. "We'll all get a big bonus, I hear, but that's off the record. I need backup on a little side assignment for this year's purge."

"What do you mean?"

"You're the only person I'm letting in on this, and for security reasons, I can't tell you any more information until we get there. Once we arrive, everything else will make sense."

Lord Anael's instructions about this "top secret" mission was cagier than the fact they are the only ones carrying it out. Something in the back of Mercy's mind was telling her something really bad was going to happen the minute they arrive in Hell.

* * *  
HAZBIN HOTEL. That's what the giant neon sign on the bizarre-looking building. Seems like a strange name for a hotel. Then again, the entire building itself was strange. It looked like random structures stacked on top of each other. Mercy thought she saw half of the Titanic on there. As she picked the lock to the roof entrance, Anael kept watch above them. He has yet to tell her what they're doing here or who their target is, but one thing she knew for certain is that Exterminators were forbidden from going inside any of the buildings once they landed in Hell. The lock clicked and Mercy opened the door and signaled her commander to follow her in. The two angels maneuvered through a maze of hallways until they arrived at a door marked 666. 

"Wait right here and don't come in unless I say so." he said, readying his spear.

Without another word, Anael smashed the door open and was immediately attacked by a purple-skinned woman with an angel spear. She had a white dress like her hair which had a pink bow in it. Anael fought back with his own spear and tossed the woman out a nearby window. Mercy looked to see the woman landed on another part of the building and climb off the edge. Mercy's attention was drawn back to Room 666 to see what was going on inside and saw Anael pin down another woman inside by his foot. 

She appeared to be the same age as Mercy and had alabaster skin with rosy cheeks, yellow eyes, and blonde hair. She was wearing a red tuxedo with black pants and heels. Mercy recognized the Princess Charlotte Magne of Hell. She never met her, but all angels were taught who's who in Hell's royal family. The girl was begging as Anael raised his spear as if to kill her. Mercy's eyes widened with horror as she realized the truth behind this mission.

"Wait. Our target is Lucifer's daughter?! God would never have allowed this."

"Well, why else do you think I didn't tell anyone about it?"

Just as he was about to strike, Anael's spear was blocked by Mercy's. The Exterminator knocked the spear out of his hands and used her telekinesis to restrain him and raise him off the girl.

"Run!" Mercy commanded the princess, who heeded her and fled the room. As soon as she was gone, Mercy hurled him out a window with her telekinesis and flew after him. The two engaged in an aerial wrestling match before Anael threw her onto the roof of another building.

"Traitor!" Anael declared.

"You'd have caused more harm if you did this, Anael." Mercy retorted. "If you killed Charlotte Magne, Heaven and Hell would go to war. You'd have destroyed us all."

"Killing Lucifer's daughter would change the tide of the ongoing war between Heaven and Hell. I'm doing what God didn't have the guts to do."

Anael lunged for her and threw her on the ground, with her back facing him. He grabbed his sword and took a hold of her wings. "Lady Mercy, you stand here accused of treason against God and Heaven. Your punishment is the same as Lucifer when he rebelled: Falling. Once you fall, you will never be allowed back into Heaven. You will be damned for the rest of your miserable existence. But if you recant, you will be pardoned.

The same old song that got her killed to begin with. The way he said it brought Mercy back to when she was tried and hanged for witchcraft, a crime she did not commit. Now she's being tried for treason, another crime she is innocent of. Her only crime is she trusted too many people who ended up stabbing her in the back. What was she going to do now?

"Leave my soul to burn and let me breathe it in."

A sharp pain surged through her body as she felt her wings cut off from her back. Anael raised her up and ripped her mask and helmet off. "So be it." As she fell, her entire body caught fire. Her mask and armor turned to ash as she descended further and further until she reached the cold hard ground. Mercy could didn't know what hurt worse. The betrayal or the burns.

A large hole formed around where she landed and she felt like she couldn't take any more of the sting. Not even her tears could soothe her burning skin. Her eyes darted towards the sign of the hotel, noticing she was literally at its front door. The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the form of the demon princess she saved from being killed.

* * *  
"Are you fucking serious?!" Vaggie said to her girlfriend. "You're bringing it in here?!"

Charlie carried the unconscious fallen angel inside the hotel's lobby. She covered her up with her red jacket looked her over to see if there were any visible injuries. Charlie witnessed the angel's fall and as soon as she was sure the coast was clear, snuck her inside before anyone got to her.

"I saw it happen, Vaggie. She's a fallen angel. If it’s who I think it is, she fell because of me." Charlie said. "Help me get her into a room."

Vaggie muttered something in Spanish and took a key from the counter. "I still think this is a bad idea."

As the two young women took their new "guest" up the stairs, a certain red demon saw them pass by and practically did a double-take when he saw the black and white demoness he saw Charlie carry. A grin formed on his face as he remembered his fateful encounter all those years ago.

"Welcome back, _mon ange_." Alastor said to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “Leave my soul to burn and let me breathe it in.” I thought that would be fitting for Mercy.  
> I love “Addict”.
> 
> So now the stage is set, my lovelies. What happens next?  
> Stay tuned!


	4. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy wakes up in the hotel after Falling and is formally introduced to the Hazbin gang. She also gets a reunion with Alastor. After hearing of Charlie's plan, Mercy offers her services to help make redemption possible.

Mercy's eyes fluttered open as she woke up. Instead of the streets of Pentagram City, she found herself inside a room decorated in red-pink walls and dark-colored furniture. Rather than being bare naked, Mercy was wearing a red robe with a black logo on her left pectoral. (Who gave me this?)  
She got out of the four-poster bed and looked out the window. She was definitely in Hell. Everything was beginning to come back for her. She's a fallen angel. She can never go back to Heaven. And it's all thanks to Anael, the commanding Exterminator who betrayed her and left her for dead in a place of fire and brimstone.

"Just perfect." she moaned to herself. As she rubbed one of her eyes, she noticed her skin was a different color. It was alabaster white while the birthmarks that were found all over her body were pitch black. Noticing a vanity nearby, she looked in the mirror. She looked like she got into a fight with a fountain pen and lost. Patches of black made up what were her birthmarks, including the one over her right eye, while black splotches were in her white hair. Around her neck was a black marking where the noose that hanged her would have been. She had black lips to boot. The sclera of her eyes were dark gray while her irises remained green. She couldn't feel the wings on her back, remembering Anael cutting them off when she fell. Looking down, she saw a change of clothes that were left out for her. It was a white shirt with black pants along with some underwear. As she mused over them, she heard the door open.

A tall, lanky demon with four arms wearing a white tux with a black miniskirt with boots covering most of his legs entered and stopped in his tracks when he saw her. "Holy shit! You actually woke up."

Mercy grabbed the lamp on the bedside and had it ready to throw but the demon held up his hands. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy, toots. I'm not gonna hurt you."

Before either could say something else, another voice spoke as the purple-skinned woman entered. "Angel, what did you- Oh my, God. She's awake."

"She's awake?" Charlie popped in.

"I'm awake, but what's going on?" Mercy asked as she cautiously set the lamp back where she found it.

"After you fell, I brought you here to recuperate." the princess explained. "You had us worried. You've been out for the last two days."

(Two days?)

"The Extermination was just two days ago?" Mercy said, flabbergasted. Sitting back on the bed, she tried to wrap her head around everything that has happened. Now she's worried about what's next for her. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone sit beside her on the bed. She looked to see Charlie.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Mercy. Mercy Sampson."

"I have to ask Mercy, was it you who saved me?"

Mercy was silent for a moment as the memory played again in her head. "Yes."

"Exterminators aren't supposed to come in the buildings." Vaggie confronted the newly fallen angel. "What's going on?"

Mercy was afraid to tell her, but she bucked up and spoke. "I was deceived. Lord Anael, my commander, he-"

"Like 'anal'?!" Angel burst out laughing before getting a threatening look from Vaggie, who then urged their guest to continue.

"He told me we were assigned a top secret mission during the recent Extermination. He never told me what was going on or what we were supposed to do. When I saw him pin Princess Charlotte down, I realized it then and there. He wanted to kill her. God would never have allowed this to happen, not unless He wanted to get into something with Lucifer. I blocked his attack and told her to run. He clipped my wings, threw me down here as I fell, and left me for dead." She stifled a sob. "Next thing I knew, I woke up here, wherever here is."

"This is the Hazbin Hotel." Charlie said. "And you can call me Charlie. This is my girlfriend Vaggie and you've already met our first patron Angel Dust."

"Pleasure to meet you, doll." Angel shot her a flirtatious wink.

"Okay, Angel, let's get back downstairs." Vaggie said, dragging him out of the room. "I'm sure Mercy needs some time to herself. Besides, shouldn't you be aggravating Husk or something?"

As the two left, Mercy looked at Charlie and noticed the outfit she was wearing was like the one set out for her. "Are those your clothes on the vanity?"

"Yeah. We got you the robe last minute to cover you up and I set up a change of clothes for you when you woke up." the princess replied bashfully. "We'll take you clothes shopping later if you'd like."

"I'd appreciate that. Thank you."

As Charlie got off the bed, she says "I'll leave you to get changed. When you're ready, you can meet us downstairs."

"Thank you." When she was left alone, Mercy took the loaned clothes into the bathroom and stripped off the robe. The markings on her chest were black like the others. Didn't really surprise her. She put on the shirt and pants and slipped on the pair of shoes included with them. Charlie's clothes felt a little tight for her, but Mercy could make do for the moment. She hung the robe on the back of the bathroom door and walked out of the room. Mercy looked at the room number, 76, and made a mental note where she was going to be staying. 

Walking down the stairs, Mercy saw the rest of the group near a bar in the lobby. Angel was flirting with a winged cat in a top hat and bowtie downing a bottle labeled CHEAP BOOZE while Charlie and Vaggie were sitting in a love seat across from the bar chatting away. Just as Mercy was about to wave hello to the princess, Mercy is almost pounced on by a short cyclops girl with a goofy skirt and a big smile on her face. She seemed very energetic.

"Hi. I'm Niffty." the cyclops said. "It's so very nice to meet you."

"Uh, nice to meet you, too. I'm Mercy." she nervously shook the girl's hand. Thankfully Charlie noticed her and walked over and have her a hug.

"So, this is the lobby." said Charlie as she showed her around. "That's the bar/front desk. That's Husk manning it. You just met our housekeeper and cook Niffty. Vaggie is the hotel manager, so if you have any questions, you can ask her."

Mercy looked around and noticed not a lot of people were really here. "Is this everyone here?"

"Not all of them, dear!" an all too familiar voice spoke from behind. The Radio Demon popped up from behind the two women and his attention is directed at Mercy. "My, my. When dear Charlotte said we had a fallen angel, I didn't think it'd be you."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mercy asks him.

"Alastor is my business partner for the hotel." Charlie explained. "He may not believe in my vision, but he insists on helping me out, backing me financially and even renovating the hotel and provided staff."

Mercy is still skeptical of Alastor's intentions but turned to Charlie. "What exactly is your vision, Charlie?"

The princess leads Mercy aside and they take a seat on the sofa with Vaggie. "The purpose of this hotel is to provide a more human way to curb overpopulation in Hell. I've been watching too many souls be wiped away during the Exterminations and I can't take any more of it. So, I opened this hotel hoping to rehabilitate sinners to-"

Mercy's blinked and sputtered. "Hold on. You, the princess of Hell and daughter of Lucifer, want to get souls into Heaven? I'm not saying I don't believe you, but as an ex-angel, you could see why I'd ask."

"Yeah, you're not the first one."

Mercy looked at Angel and back to Charlie. "Is he the only guest?"

Charlie sighed and said. "Yes. Angel Dust is an addict and Hell's top pornstar. He's agreed to be our first patron for our project."

"Mainly for the free room and board." Vaggie interrupted.

Mercy's eyes darted back to Alastor, who was watching from the bar, and back to the girls. "Why is Alastor really here? You said it yourself he doesn't believe in your cause."

"He says he wants help out for his own amusement." Vaggie answers. "You're right to be wary of him. He's a crafty son of a bitch and a deal-maker. He can't be redeemed. And is probably going to undermine us as soon as he gets the chance. But, how do you two know each other?"

"I had an encounter with him during the 1934 Extermination. He and I fought and I would have had him if all the Exterminators didn't get called back at that moment."

"You took on Smiles?" Angel joined in the conversation, martini glass in one hand.

"And lived to tell the tale, Mr. Dust." Mercy proclaimed. "He almost had me though. Don't think it was easy."

With his other arms, Angel hugged her and said to the princess and her girlfriend. "Can we keep her?"

Mercy tuned out the following conversation between the pornstar and the princess's girlfriend as you pondered about the hotel and its mission. She found it strange and ironic that the Antichrist and is willing to get souls to Heaven to try and hinder Hell's problem with overflowing damned. In her day, it would have been considered blasphemy. Then again, hanging innocent women for witchcraft is blasphemy too. She remembered the same Puritan mindsets that led to her execution and how she discovered that many of them warped God's word and sent many of them to Hell. Within a nearly four-hundred year period, Mercy witnessed many amendments made into God's law as it became clear that the human moral compass was going in all directions. If she's going to be a fallen angel, she may as well make the best of it.

"You know, Charlie," Mercy says. "With the right guidance and help, redemption might actually be possible."

"It is?" Charlie beamed.

"Aw, not you, too!" Angel moaned.

Ignoring him, Mercy continued. "I'm from the 17th Century. I grew up in a Puritan culture. And just because of my appearance and because I didn't think like everyone around me did, I was labeled as damned and then I was hanged for witchcraft. I thought I was going to Hell and imagine how I felt when I wound up in Heaven. I've spent almost four centuries up there and I know by heart what it takes to get into Heaven. If you'll allow me, I could probably help you out."

The princess have her a big hug and practically squealed. "Of course! We could use a therapist! And with you having been an angel, you can point patients in the right direction."

A smile formed on your face as you reflected on her words. (Maybe this won't be so bad after all.)

* * *

A couple hours later, Mercy returned to her room with shopping bags in both hands. Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel (who insisted on coming along) took her shopping for a new wardrobe and showed her around town while Mercy discreetly scouted out potential clients. While she was out, Mercy noticed noticed a lot of eyes staring at her. Charlie told her that news of a fallen angel spread like wildfire throughout Hell, and during the two-day period she was unconscious, Mercy had to have one of the staff members at her door to protect her from anyone who might have endangered her.

She also learned that Charlie had taken custody of Mercy, as she landed in her domain. All fallen angels were to swear allegiance to Lucifer, but Charlie had insisted on taking her in a day before she woke up. She saved her from Anael. It was the least she could do for Mercy. Personally, Mercy would have preferred swearing allegiance to Charlie instead of her father. She liked her. Of course, how someone like her could be related to Lucifer in any possible way baffles her.

Mercy changed out of the outfit Charlie loaned her and into a blue dress she bought while she was out with her new friends. Blue was her favorite color. It was vintage-styled, which she likes, with long sleeves with white cuffs at the end and a matching collar and belt. At the hem was a blue frill that Mercy thought was cute. She slipped it on along with a matching pair of heels. As she examined herself in the mirror, she saw Alastor right behind her.

(Aw, hell...)

"What do you want?" she asked, obviously annoyed by the intrusion.

"You look marvelous, my dear." Alastor said. "I just wanted to welcome you personally to the hotel and to apologize for out little brouhaha all those years ago. Even if you did start it."

"You attacked me first!" Mercy fired back. "Look, unlike you, I actually think Charlie's project has a chance and I want to help. I know you think this whole thing is a joke and you're only doing this because you're bored out of your deer skull, but if you do anything to sabotage all of Charlie's work, I'm gonna make sure I finished what I started. Understand?"

"Clear as crystal." Alastor says, his smile not faltering during her entire speech. "And know, I'm not going to let any harm come to you, Charlotte, or anyone in this hotel. I defended this place from that insane serpent and I will defend it again from anyone who would do the same. I'm not going to bother you, if you do the same."

As he turned to leave, Alastor said. "Also, I came here to return something you lost."

Mercy looked to see her old Exterminator helmet, the one she lost from her battle with Alastor, on her vanity. Before she could ask him where he found it, he was gone.

Outside her room, Alastor hummed a tune as he walked down the hall. (And now the games begin, mon ange. Stay tuned...!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, the stage is set for Mercy. She will face trials and tribulations, deal with faces from the past, and find love in an unexpected man.
> 
> Stay tuned!😉


End file.
